Situated in central Massachusetts apple country—but only 30 miles west of Boston—this former traditional New England farm has been a special place for retreats, seminars, conferences, tented weddings and workshops since 1947.
A century-old barn and carriage house has been renovated to accommodate up to 70 people in a combination of dormitory and private rooms. We have large and small meeting places, and a big kitchen.
Groups can make communal cooking and clean-up part of their conference activities, or we can provide healthy, family-style meals with organic fruit, vegetables and honey from our own orchard, gardens and bees.
Large meeting spaces: the 24′ x 48′ dining hall with banquet seating for 72, with a fireplace; and a 24′ x 36′ conference room furnished with comfortable couches and overstuffed chairs. Two “breakout” rooms. Wi-fi throughout.
Kitchen is fully equipped with two stoves, ovens, sinks and refrigerators, and pots, pans and tableware to serve 70. Day and overnight rates include use of the kitchen.
The main dorm can sleep up to 25; a sleeping loft has 4 twin and 3 bunk beds. There are 13 private and family bedrooms with one to four beds.
Blankets, pillows and hand-made quilts are provided. Linens and towels may be rented, or bring your own. (Sleeping bags are not allowed in hostels for health and sanitation reasons).
The facility is situated on four acres of lawn with a wedding glade and fire circle, surrounded by 40 acres of gardens, forest, fields.
Faith
Non-Faith Based:
Non-Faith Based
Open to All:
Open to All
Average Cost: $ - $$
We provide a range of rates for our nonprofit clients, individual guests & Massachusetts outdoor weddings. A completely DIY retreat individual or group who use our fabulous kitchen, stay in the dorms, bring their own linens and towels and do the final cleaning will pay $39/person/24 hours. Groups that use all our optional meals/snacks/linen rental/cleaning services and stay in double occupancy lodging can pay up to $110/person/24 hours.
Contact owner if your group wishes to bring beer or wine.
Work Exchange:
Yes!
We are willing to provide lodging in return for appropriate labor. We have found that when we have a specific need, someone with the skills to meet that need will come along. And we can meet that person's lodging needs. What blesses one blesses all
Environment: Rural, Woods
Gay Friendly: Yes!
Special Needs: Allergies, Wheelchair Access
Restrictions: No Drugs, No Smoking
Environmentally Sustainable:
Yes!
We were green before green was in. Friendly Crossways was accredited as a Sustainable Living Center by Hostelling International in 1982. We feed folks using produce, fruit and honey from our backyard gardens and hives. We use low flow toilets and shower heads, compact fluorescent bulbs, and energy efficient appliances. In mid-2012 we're installing a 5kW solar electricity generating system. Oh, and we also compost and recycle.
Language: English, French
Overnight Guest Capacity (defined as):
62
Meeting Space Capacity (defined as):
80
Meeting Rooms:
| Room Name | Square Feet | Capacity | Description |
| Large Meeting Room | 864 | | 24′ x 36′ Meeting Room. Located on first floor adjacent to wheelchair accessible bathrooms & lodging. Wall to wall carpeting suitable for yoga/meditation retreats. Wall suitable for slide/power point projections |
| Subterranean Suite | | | ‘Subterranean Suite’ breakout room for smaller groups
o Seating for 25
o Ping pong table |
| Dining Hall / Meeting Hall | 1152 | | o 24′ x 48′ with banquet seating for 72
o Includes fireplace and piano
o Adjacent to kitchen on first floor, wheel chair accessible |
| Great Outdoors | 150000 | | We have several acres of lawn for playing games or erecting a wedding tent, an outdoor wedding glade with a fire circle, organic vegetable gardens (you're welcome to help us weed!), old orchards, traditional New England rock walls, and perennial gardens. |
Groups Served: 12 Step / Addiction / Recovery, Arts / Crafts, Business, Church / Faith / Religious, Dance / Theater, Educational, Families, Health / Healing, Lesbian / Gay, Meditation Groups, Mens Groups, Music, Nature / Adventure, Non-profit, Peace / Justice, Personal Development Groups, Reunions, Silent, Weddings, Womens Groups, Writing, Yoga Groups, Youth Groups
Amenities: Biking trails, Carpet, Chapel / Temple, Fire Pit / Circle, Fireplaces, Gardens / Outdoor Space, Golf, Meditation Hall, On-line / Internet Access, Walking/ Hiking Trails
Special Features: Each bed in this renovated barn is covered with a handmade quilt. Private rooms are decorated with hand stencils and paintings collected by the current owner's mother. Barn beams are an integral feature of the 2nd floor great hall. Four acres of lawn, blueberry orchard, perennial flower beds, stone walls and organic vegetable garden are surrounded by a 10-acre cornfield and 50+ acres of conservation lands. The wedding glade includes natural steps up a granite bolder, and a fabulous fire circle.
Technology and AV: wi-fi throughout. dvd player available in main meeting space. two easels for your use.
Room Types: B&B, Dorm
Total Number of Rooms:
15
Some or all housing is single sex only.
Children OK: Yes!
Housing: REFURNISHED BARN, HAYLOFT AND CARRIAGE HOUSE
o 13 private and family bedrooms with one to four beds
o main dorm can sleep up to 25 (usually gender separate)
o loft dorm has 4 twin and 3 bunk beds (usually gender separate)
o blankets, pillows, and hand-made quilts provided (sleeping bags are not allowed for sanitation reasons)
o linens and towels for rent or bring your own
Food: Organic / Locally Grown, Restricted Diet Options, Vegetarian or Vegan Options
Meal Availability: Available Nearby, Kitchen - Shared, Provided - Some Meals
Location of this Retreat:
247 Littleton County Road
Harvard, MA 01451-1445
United States
Travel Info: We're 45 minutes from Boston's Logan Airport BOS, 55 minutes from Manchester NH Airport MHT, 1 hour+ from Providence RI Airport PVD and 1.5 hours from Hartford CT Airport BDL. From BOS you can get Littletown Limo door to door service (call ahead for reservations.) Public transport by train from North Station in Boston or Porter Square in Cambridge; we'll alert group organizers about how to pick up their participants at the local 495/Littleton stop.
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Maria I
2/4/2019
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We had a wonderful retreat! Thank you for opening your doors to our group. Our staff and service members greatly enjoyed our stay. Friendly Crossways was a beautiful and relaxing space to gather and work on service member development. Dave and Joe were wonderful to work with and very helpful.
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Matthew N
11/22/2018
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I would like to thank Friendly Crossways owners, Mary and Keith, for hosting what was one of the most incredible weekends of my life, and for being so incredibly gracious and welcoming to the Black Men's Liberation RC group. The food was excellent, and so were you, your husband, and your staff! Thank you again for providing us a safe, warm, welcoming space. So looking forward to the 2020 retreat!
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Lan G
9/12/2017
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A beautiful rustic-chic location with all the time and flexibility you can hope for your wedding. The luxury of not having to "clear out" the same evening as your event is worth more than gold. Not to mention a fire circle to round off the night is so cool!
The setting, the feel of the venue, AND the amazing food will exceed all of your expectations. Dinner was the best any of us have had at a wedding and the pies flew off the buffet! Our guests were blown away - yours will be too.
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Amy H
7/13/2015
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I was on a retreat here recently and the facilities are perfect for our needs. Mary Helan is very relaxed and easy to work with. There are big communal spaces and a big dorm along with a smaller form and smaller, more private rooms. This has become our home away from home and feels very relaxing and easy to plan for the more we come. The grounds are also lovely if you come in good weather to take advantage of them!
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CMMW
8/26/2014
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I traveled here with a group of high school youth for a team-building retreat. We spent three days here, and it was a great stay. I enjoyed the hostel and its grounds, which were well-kept. Mary Helen provided many answers to my questions and suggestions for to-dos, and David was extremely helpful in making sure that my youth and I were taken care of throughout our stay.
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Judy M
5/14/2014
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We just completed a 4 day event at Friendly Crossways! It was such a great place to stay. The staff was amazing, David is so helpful, informative and friendly. Mary Helan, made delicious healthy food for us! I would definitely recommend it. The grounds were gorgeous too.
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Doris G
7/2/2013
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i came here for a retreat last weekend and was really quite pleased with the accommodations. Though there were 50+ of us on the trip, I never once had to wait to use a bathroom or a shower. The lodgings were clean and well-maintained, the common areas were sizable, able to be air conditioned, and the owner, Mary Helen, is a beekeeper with on-site bees (aka on-site fresh honeycomb mmmm).
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Reservation Criteria: You have the option to hire the entire facility for your group's, weddings, family reunion's exclusive usage (only the owners and staff will be on site in addition to your group.) Or you can rent overnight usage only, or lodging and meeting space for smaller groups. Both a damage deposit and reservation deposit are required.
Retreat Contact: Mary Turner
Phone: 978-456-9386
Website:
View Retreat Website
Organization Contact:
Friendly Crossways Retreat Center
247 Littleton County Road
Harvard, MA 01451
United States
Organization Website: View Organization Website